Week 7 {end}

So here I am at the end of week 7, and I now have more direction, especially seeing as there's only 4 weeks till the first deadline animatic and production folder... also, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW! :D EEP

Anyway... I have knuckled down and produced my colour, emotion and season arc, started bashing out ideas for Summer, Autumn and Winter. I feel now that I have a more settled idea of my film!

I was really happy with these background generation pages, this now means that I can piece together all the scenes I have so far into an animatic to see how long I'm looking at so far. I can then see which scenes I'd like to have action in, create those frames to add in and then I'll have the next pass of that animatic! I will then need to start animating some action sequences to get a feasibility study of how long they'll take me to animate roughly.

I hope to produce another colour flow arc when I've reached the next stage.

I had real trouble making the sad scenes in Autumn especially and winter, because I like to paint beautiful backgrounds... but maybe the fact that our character is in a beautiful place, but cannot see it's beauty would be more sad?

I am really excited to paint these in detail :)

NEXT STEPS

• Have an awesome birthday!!
• Finish background ideas to import into an animatic #2
• Decide on action sequences to make animatic #3
• finalize ideas and background concepts for the production folder
• Write out a descriptive script

Penblydd Hapus!! 

Epiphany

I will admit that lately I have lacked direction with making my film... it seems that with too much freedom I seem to flounder... but none the less, I explored ideas of action and mood and developed the girls design. The success of these activities are varied, but they have all helped me make decisions  elsewhere. In the lecture on Monday, I had some good feedback for my character, everyone likes the textured hair look rather than the empty lines, I do as well, but I need to test animating them to make sure they look good when they move too. We did a character design exercise that was fun and interesting to do, it helped me to think about my character as a three dimensional being.

Originally I wanted there to be very little audience involvement with the girl, but now I feel that there needs to be a more emotional connection with the girl, meaning close ups, more action shots and interaction, not only so that the film tugs on the heart strings more and can be enjoyed more by the audience, but so that it will give me some direction when designing the scenes and backgrounds (which I sorely need right now)

So, I created an action page, an emotion page, and have done several character studies.

I really like some of the action ideas I've come up with, but I still lack direction in what my film will actually consist of.. that does not sound good. I am confused as to how long it should be, how long to hold each scene, how many scenes to have etc - but that is all what an animatic is for and so I need to start a storyboard and the play around with the animatic.

BUT

After a super successful brain storm this morning with the lovely Sam Coleman (view his blog here) I now have sifted through the ideas in my brain and have a working path to start on with my film!!

This has really helped me pin down what I want and how I need to show it, it has structure now and that will help me focus on what I need to design, what emotions each scene needs to portray and how they all tie together.

I also made some decisions about little ideas I had floating around, like no more animals being introduced to show that we're getting closer to life, there needs to be a few buildings dotted so that the lighthouse is not strange, no spring and maybe a little humour to establish an emotional attachment. I've decided to scrap Spring as that is what comes once she's 'found the others', I've also decided to let myself design some fanciful, fantasy-esque backgrounds, taking bit of real scenery and merging them to make something new, so that we can place that we're not in a physics bound earth. Her hair is part of her, and can be manipulated and shows emotion. 

'A Beautiful Apocalypse' is no more, I had gotten away from the real message of my film, it is about her 'Journey' and struggles through her loneliness... and so my film is reborn again!

NEXT STEPS

• write up this board of information
• develop the arc of emotion with a colour script
• look through 'The Art of Journey' for inspiration and direction
• STORYBOARD to then...
• ANIMATIC

I need to get a move on... did I mention I'm going to Vegas for a week at the end of November??

VEGAS BABY!!!

Acting Tests

Over this weekend I have got stuck into some quick animation tests for my character and her boat. I must say that I hadn't realised how difficult it was to animate a boat... keeping it's structure and angle is hard, but I think I'm getting to grips with it.

 

*I feel that I should make a little model of my character so that I can use it to visualze angles easier - plus it would be super fun*

 

 

The above test was my playing around with moving the layers within a painted photoshop image and using some of the simulation effects. Obviously I used the snow effect and I must say that it brings a whole other dimension to the scene and I am thrilled with how it looks. I will definately be using these effects in the final film.

 

 

 

I conducted this test just of the girl, in her boat, her blowing and boat rocking, just for a feasibility study... and it's a good job I did so as I have now found that it it very hard to keep my lines flowing together and to get smooth animation with this design, which is what I wanted... I need her to be subtle, and the boiling does not create that illusion. I may have to go back to the drawing board in reference to her decoration, but I'm really happy with her overall shape and design. Maybe just plain colour and texture?

 

 

Here is another test but more challenging, she is sat in her boat, when she sees something in the distance (a hint of other life perhaps?) and she jumps up and scrambles to the edge of her boat to peer out. I wanted to focus on her acting here and getting her to project an appealing nature, and I also wanted to focus on her weight in the boat, I feel that I have done both of these things very well and will keep this standard of animation for the film. While concentrating on the actual action I have left out her detail... and I think I like it better...

 

 

The final test I have is from another angle and Im looking at the water on the boat, colour contrasting and some more acting. She's looking around, soaking in her surroundings and enjoying the breeze.. I think this reads well and with the music combined would make for a very sweet scene.

 

*I do think I need to go back to her design

*I need to review my action storybaords

*Do some animation tests of her running from her boat

 

After feedback tomorrow I may change my direction of what I'm doing now... and I need to make sure that I'm really engaged and in on time this week as it's my Birthday next week end ^_^ (a.k.a - No work is being done)

 

Adios.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Week 6 {end}

It's the end of Week 6, and I must admit it has not been the most productive...

However, I have done some more research and started a new storyboard that explores the action in each of the girls scenes and shows where all my background concepts sit in the film.

 

I have been thinking that maybe I don't need to stay so away from her in my scenes... I do like the idea that it projects her loneliness and the feeling of observing her journey rather than interacting in it... but I think that the audience needs to connect with the character more than I originally thought... and I fear that my film maybe also be just too 'action-less' if she is constantly far away. I will explore this further after getting the feedback of my class!

 

Some of the research images i've collected that have influenced many scenes greatly are beautiful pictures of nature where I am suggested camera angles, colour and composition. When drawing out these two Story Boards I was thinking about composition, the flow of the film, peaks and slopes in the story/mood/emotions, her struggles, her personality, the music and colour... everything really, but especially her actions, or lack of.

 

My next steps will be to develop these story baords further, with more colour indication, and maybe review while thinking about the seasons. I will also need to explore the ideas for the opening scene and camera movement.

 

I have started a girl animation test, that I will do a few of and think about the plausability of my scenes and designs.

Also, this internet article on AOL has given me tonnes of insperation.
http://travel.aol.co.uk/2012/01/03/the-worlds-strangest-places/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cuk%7Cdl5%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D134506#photo-11

 

Another weekend then!

 



Week 6

It is the Monday of Week 6! I presented my 20 images this morning and got some really good feedback;

 

• Maybe I don't need to always have her on a body of water? Maybe sometimes it can be a bit magical? (eg boat going through sand, water etc)
• Her hair portraying some of her emotions and how she is feeling is a good idea.
• My backgrounds are coming along well, however, I need to make sure that the way they are composed is beautiful as well as the actual painting and details... also the placement of the girl within each scene is important.
• I mentioned my bird idea replacing the light at the end and being present throughout the film... and they forcefully objected to that... so they said that I'd need to re-think the transitions... and that maybe I could use an element of the previous scene to link over and lay into the next, giving a fluid and beautiful transition! I really loved this idea although it may be hard and I'd really have to plan my scenes... which I need to do anyway, but you know!

 

I was also told of an advert that might be interesting to draw from, a twining advert for tea, the colours are beautiful and the soft look is just what I'm going for;

 

 

Today while I had the attention of the lovely Alex Gillespie, I asked him to show me a little compositing on After Effects, that I was thrilled to bits about!! But it would not upload unfortunately... However I now know how to pan and make it snow :)

 

• So, my next steps and plans for this week are;
• Start my industry Report
• Try scenes with a heavy light and dark shadow contrast, where she moves in and out fo the shadow
• A scene with a rainbow, the scenes Ive collected research for
• A scene with a dandilion and maybe work out a few transition animations
• Plan out a colour transition page with girl studies to show opposing colours and complimentary colours
• An animation test of the girl properly moving
• Aaaaaaaand a new storyboard where the girl has actions in everyother scene, maybe ever 3 or 4

SO! Let the week commence! :D

 

ps. I have started thinking about tieing all my scenes together geographically, and so started following this guys website;

http://kienlam.net/around-the-world

 

 



20 Images

  So for week 6 I have to compile together 20 images to present that will communicate my film to my fellow classmates and tutors. During Week 5 I worked hard to produce those 20 images of different scenes, camera angles and After Effects-effects, to try and show how my film will flow.

 

 

I know I would like to use geographical location to show that she is travelling around the world, and not just anywhere and everywhere, although Animation does give me the freedom to do this... I know I also need to use colour, weather and the seasons to show the passing of time (this is where I can have some serious fun with colour) and also a little character performace to help the audience to connect with her on her quest.

 

At the beginning of this week I was given some brushes by an animation graduate that would help me immensley with my concept and background painting in Photoshop;

 

 

 

Above is what I got from my first attempt with playing around with them, and this is probably my most favourite piece of concept art so far!

 

But I plowed on and produced a few more scenes, some had more time taken on them than others... some were just to show the range of weathers/colours/moos etc.

 

 

 

I was really happy with some of these, not only the ones that took a few hours, but also the ones I bashed out quickly... they all help me to form ideas about what I want and don't want in the film anyhow! I'm particularly pleased with the studies of my girl character... I really needed to pin her and her little boat down, which I know feel I have done! Note the last image where I've painted a scene with an After Effects simulation in mind... I think this works quite nicely!

 

Looking down this row of images, I am reminded of how I wanted the film to flow in the order of the colour spectrum... I still feel that this would be beautiful... however... would transitions from contrasting colour to contrasting colour not be more dynamic?

Hmm...

 

I had also toyed with the idea of changing the light for a spectral/spirit in the shape of a bird? I thought that if she has this kind of guardian bird in every scene, either following her or sat somewhere in the scenery, then it is the bird that she offers up it would all tie in together nicely and would make a nice transition through the frames. Here is some research and some deisgn ideas;

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 5

It is the Monday of Week 5, and I've presented my new changes to the story, design and over all rhythem of my film. They were received well and my class mates gave me some really good advice on how to loosen up and generate some more stunning and varied backgrounds as I keep getting dragged down in the construction of them.

 When I'd been looking at my reference concept art pieces, I'd been trying to translate them to a realistic language, but really, I'd forgotten that I don't need to do that in my film, they can be fanciful! And by jove they are going to be!

We also discussed in this lecture if our films offered passive or active viewing... I believe that in the same way that 'Father and Daughter' is ACTIVE viewing, that mine is also active viewing in the way that the film does not spoon feed the story to the audience, they have to interpret what they are seeing and form their own conclusions. Discussing whether or not my film had an immersive story/style was quite interesting, as I really want to push the feeling of observing the girl, and her character seeming very alone on her own journey. However, this means that it would be more difficult to make the audience relate to the girl character... her animation style and the little interactions that she has with her surrounding will help with this I think. If in scenes she is stood upright, looking around her and engaging with her search, and in other scenes (probably rainy miserable ones) she'll just be slumped in her boat.

We also discussed plot types, and I thought that mine was most like 'The Quest'. The conflict in my film would either be time or loneliness, the apocolypse ultimately... but time is the only thing that we would be able to see her battle with visually.

The most important thing right now I feel, to get me designing a wide range of backgrounds would be to let loose, and also to really think about all the opportunities and post production tricks that I can add to make the film dynamic. I could use backgrounds moving past a static character, a peep hole to her floating perhaps? Pans, dollys, multi-perspective pans and different perspectives, where she's really close, far away, viewed from within a tree, I still seem to be in a bit of a rut though... hopefully I'll get out of that soon... I have a huge to-do list that needs doing and background designs are pretty high on that list!

I placed the backgrounds I'd already produced on my texture and liked the difference...

You'll need to click them bigger to see on here but it does give it the nice hand made quality I want in my film... I have on my list to experiment by painting/pastelling a background and then seeing how animating on it goes... because producing them actually by hand does look and lot nicer and come easier to me...

Oh well, let's see what the week brings!!